Devotionals

The Least Of These

by Stephen Wong
01/27/21
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“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”         Matthew 25:37-40 NIV

What if we were told that Jesus was going to come and stay at our house tonight? I imagine that we would do all we could to make sure that the house was sparkling and spotless and that the best food and drink was prepared before he arrived. For such an important visitor as Jesus, we would want to serve him with the best entertainment and make him feel as comfortable as possible while he is staying with us. Yet, when we have the opportunity to meet the needs of a fellow brother and sister in our church, I wonder if we would share the same enthusiasm in serving them.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus describes the final judgement when he will come again and separate his true followers, the sheep, from the goats. The sheep are described as those who are marked by love for Jesus’ followers and care for their needs. What is interesting is that the love of the sheep is extended to even the least of his followers. Jesus cares for every one of his own, no matter how unimportant they may seem in the eyes of the world. Through serving the least of them, the sheep are also serving Jesus. 

Of course, this does not mean that we should only show love to Christians and not to unbelievers. However, it is clear that a distinguishing feature of the true followers of Jesus should be their love for one another (John 13:34-35). That is one reason why it is so important for us to commit to being part of a church community. Although many of us are able to watch great sermons and church services online, we can only learn to love our brothers and sisters in Christ through regularly meeting and spending time with them. 

As sheep who belong to God’s kingdom, do we share the heart of our shepherd for even the least of his followers? Perhaps there are some people in the church who seem particularly burdensome to care for. Perhaps there is a brother or sister who we would rather not engage with at all. Perhaps for others in the church who are seemingly unimportant, their needs have simply gone unnoticed. May we continue to grow deeper in our love for one another as we live in community. As Jesus reminds us, through learning to love and serve even the least of our brothers and sisters, we are loving and serving him.

Lord God,

We thank you that Jesus is the Great Shepherd who loves all of his sheep and gave his life for them. We thank you that he loves and cares for even the least of his flock. May you fill us with this same love for one another as we grow in fellowship and serve one another. Teach us to faithfully serve Jesus through caring for each other’s needs. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen